


Tower of Ganon

by Aurya



Series: A Breath of Wilderness [12]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Female Link, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-15 05:30:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21248240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurya/pseuds/Aurya
Summary: The Hero's memories have been restored...The Divine Beasts have been freed of their blight...The sword that seals the darkness has been reclaimed...The time has come.Calamity Ganon must fall.





	1. The Revered Shield

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I keep seeing works listed as "by Anonymous". How the hell do you get AO3 to do that? There's not a non-option on the creator box, and you can't post without logging in. Is that just what happens to your existing works if you delete your AO3 account?
> 
> Anyways, there's three events in Hyrule Castle that I've decided to give each their own chapter:  
-Plumbing the depths and defeating the Stalnox for the Hylian Shield  
-Climbing the path to reach the Sanctum and face Calamity Ganon  
-Returning to Hyrule Field to defeat Dark Beast Ganon
> 
> Link's equipment inventory at the start of this chapter [currently equipped]:  
-Master Sword  
-Scimitar of the Seven  
-Boulder Breaker  
-[Lightscale Trident]  
-[Great Eagle Bow]  
-[Arrow ×111]  
-Ancient Arrow ×33  
-[Daybreaker]  
-[Champion's Tunic]  
-[Hylian Hood]  
-[Hylian Trousers]  
-Zora Helm  
-Zora Armour  
-Zora Greaves  
-Snowquill Trousers  
-Snowquill Tunic  
-Snowquill Headdress  
-Flamebreaker Armour  
-Flamebreaker Boots  
-Flamebreaker Helm  
-Desert Voe Headband  
-Desert Voe Trousers  
-Desert Voe Spaulder

"So this is what Castle Town looks like up close..."

The sun was on its way over the horizon as Link rode into the ruins of the community that had surrounded Hyrule Castle. The buildings had been demolished and left to suffer the century, with barely walls to show the former domain; Malice was splattered across the town like blood sent flying from a particular gruesome death. A few Guardians still remained here - and although they had lost many of their legs, their bodies were still intact, and upright enough to threaten any who would wander into the domain of Calamity Ganon.

Link directed Lugria to take the path around rather than risk leaping over the Malice that barred the direct route to the castle; as he descended the stairs, she drew Revali's Great Eagle Bow. Arrows could strike nigh any surface without bringing any more harm to the bow that fired them, but she would not risk breaking the blades of her friends' weapons against the unyielding defenses of the Guardians; if she needed engage one in close combat, she would draw the Master Sword, whose edge glowed with the power to repel evil in face of Malice.

An eye opened upon the barricade of Malice as she approached it from the castle side - and an arrow, split into three as it flew, pierced it as the Guardian nearest began to move. Link quickly turned in the saddle and fired another arrow, one of the fragments nailing the Guardian in the eye before it could target her; then she fingered her Sheikah Slate, and the wooden shafts in her quiver were replaced with projectiles granted blades of ancient Sheikah technology. She launched herself from the saddle, and time seemed to slow as she loosed one arrow straight into the Guardian's eye; as it burst against the visual, the Malice fled from the automaton as it shut down.

She landed at her steed's side, and the first raindrop followed suit as the skies began to open up. With a sigh, she mounted Lugria again and made to ride around to the innermost layer of the courtyard; another Guardian was hit with an Ancient Arrow the moment its eye was alight, and Link rode past its body and towards the bridge to Hyrule Castle - and promptly found a third Guardian flying around the gate.

Three arrows were nocked, and fired with such precision that their separate trajectories connected with all three of the Guardian's propellors; it plummeted past the bridge, its gaze no longer a threat.

And as Lugria walked towards the gate, the real threat presented itself.

A surge of Malice seemed to lunge out of the castle from behind the gate - a specter untouched and undeterred by the falling rain, with the face of a monstrous boar. It soared higher as it circled the castle, and its gaze rose heavenward as it roared fiercely enough to shake Castle Town.

And in defiance, a holy light shone from within the Castle Sanctum, and the Malice was forced to subside against its glow. Link knew what that light was - she had seen it when she had awoken on the Great Plateau. The princess was fighting to contain the Calamity - and she knew it wouldn't hold out much longer.

_Hold on, Zelda. I'm coming._

The gates themselves were easily flung open with Magnesis, but Link didn't let Lugria go faster than a walk; she'd run into a grand total of three Guardians on her way to all four Divine Beasts, yet already she could see a fourth Guardian soaring higher up the castle. As her gaze followed the twisting land path, she saw others, and the Malice that barred the road - and the most pertinent opponent was a half-dead Guardian lying between her and the nearest entrance to the castle's interior.

She dismounted Lugria, drawing Urbosa's Daybreaker from her back as the ruined automaton took notice of her; she forced herself to stand stalwart as it targeted her, and as its beam soared between them, she thrust the shield forward, with enough force to send the blast flying back towards its origin. It connected with the Guardian's eye and blast, and when the light faded, the Guardian was already dead.

_Riding a horse into this would be slaughter,_ she realized. _I need to take out the Guardians in advance._

She rode her steed up to the nearest entryway, making sure he was not in view of any of the Guardians higher; once he had refuge, she dismounted, and started inside. The interior of the castle wasn't any more appealing than the exterior; water leakage had left puddles beneath a pair of falling gates that made them easy for Link to raise with Cryonis, and the Malice scattered across Castle Town was nothing compared to the congealment on the walls of this castle.

A Lizalfos caught sight of her as she was approaching; Link drew Mipha's Lightscale Trident as it drew near, waited until it made to swing at her, and leapt away. Then, while its shield was still moved aside, she thrust the trident at it, the triple prongs striking her opponent with such ferocity and rapidness that it didn't have the chance to recover from one blow before the next had connected; it fell to the floor lifeless before it had the chance to swing for another blow, and Link brought the polearm back with a sigh.

There was a descending set of stairs to her left, and a hallway continued to her right; after a moment, Link decided to take the stairs first, soon finding herself in the Guard's Chamber. Another group of Lizalfos were sitting around a small fire threateningly near several powder barrels; for a moment Link contemplated trying to shoot one into the flames, but instead she elected to light her arrowhead on one of the torches hanging on the wall near her and fire at the nearest barrel to her opponents. The ensuing chain reaction of blasts took out the weaker ones, leaving only two more that were easily finished off with spearplay.

On the lower level was a much bigger threat - a Moblin carrying a claymore of black steel. One powder barrel had escaped being singed; she seized it and hurled it down to the Moblin's level, intending to ignite it herself... only for it to land upon a torch she hadn't seen, crushing its stand and igniting the power to blast. Deciding not to let the opportunity escape, Link fingered her Sheikah Slate while the Moblin was trying to put out its flame, then leapt down with Daruk's Boulder Breaker in hand.

Her landing knocked the Moblin off its feet, and three more swings were enough to finish it off before its claymore could be swung.

Link looked over the weapon curiously. It looked much like the claymore regularly used by the royal guard (and one such claymore was relatively untouched in the hands of a statue nearby to compare with), but its entire length was black as pitch; she could have covered herself in soot, brandished one of these weapons, and been mistaken for her own shadow.

She left the weapon where it fell and started back up the stairs; once she was at the hallway, she took a moment to assess her location before starting down the hall opposite. The Malice had congealed to bar this hall, but an arrow to the eye in the Malice was enough to disperse it, clearing the path. An off-branch looked to lead outside, but the hallway continued further; Link elected to off the barricade to the exit now and head deeper into the castle first. The hallway came to an intersection of collapsed halls and an exit... very near which was a significant fall that she **hoped** had lost ladders at some point over the last hundred years.

Her paraglider made the fall survivable without the aforesaid ladders; a Moblin was waiting below, and she came down on it greatsword-first before she realized it was carrying a halberd of the same make as the claymore in the Guard's Chamber. She managed to finish off the Moblin before it had the chance to strike her, and set the weapon upon her back; this time she didn't give the weapon more than a cursory glance before starting further in.

Another weak wall turned out to be the back of a cell in the dungeons - and other cells held Lizalfos and Moblins. An eye gazed at her from the Malice congealed over a lever in the hall between cells - a lever she knew, or at least heavily suspected, would open all the cells at once. She loosed an arrow into the visual, and as it perished she switched out her armaments for Urbosa's Scimitar of the Seven - she needed to the flexibility of a one-handed sword if she was going to deal with this many enemies at once.

Fortunately, she didn't have to deal with so many enemies at once. Only one Lizalfos and a Moblin had taken note of her; a well-timed flurry into the Lizalfos threw it back into its cells (and its spear in a different direction), and as she evaded the Moblin's swing it struck the lever again, closing the cells back up. She promptly knocked him down with the blade before he could strike it again, then switched out for Daruk's Boulder Breaker to finish it off. The Lizalfos screeching at her from behind the bars insisted she wasn't done; she switched back to Mipha's Lightscale Trident and jabbed it between the bars until it perished, not wanting to risk it trying to get her from a distance.

There was a strange off-shoot to the lockup; Link continued down it, and was surprised to find what looked like a Hinox skeleton lying in a massive, open room, with several weapons of the royal guard impaled in its bones. Confused, she stepped inside, looking around; had some knight prior to Hyrule's fall offed this thing, and they'd kept its bones as a trophy to inspire the others? Why hadn't she ever heard of this? On the other side of the skeleton, there was a stone tablet; she stepped towards it and made to read it.

_-Test of the Royal Guard-  
Strike down the giant foe to become recognized as a knight of the kingdom._

The gate slammed closed behind her, and as she turned towards it she saw the bones starting to stir. It wasn't a Hinox skeleton - it was a Stalfos, and she swore under her breath as it started to rise up.

Revali's Great Eagle Bow split an arrow into three on its way to the Stalnox's eye - although only two made contact - and as it recoiled, she switched out her polearm for the Master Sword - if she died in this trap, with this creature, she wanted to die with her own sword in her hand. The Malice that filled the Castle had her sword shining even so deep in the dungeon, and as she made to bring it into her opponent, it struck with the true light of evil's bane, its ribs cracking under her blows.

When it started to rise, she dove between its legs and put distance between her and the Stalnox; it leapt into the air and came down meaning to shake the ground... and its bones scattered. Its eye popped out of the socket in its skull without flesh to keep it there, and when it started to move Link struck _that_ with her sword; the Stalnox was starting to reassemble when she managed to impale the thing on her sword, and she promptly twisted into a spin and hurled it at the Stalnox's own jaw.

The eye jabbed into the teeth, faded to black, and burst - and the bones slowly collapsed before following suit.

And as the weapons that had covered its body clattered to the ground, Link saw a chest before the tablet that hadn't been there before.

Curious, she stepped up to it, sheathing the Master Sword on her back. It was a largely nondescript chest, but she was **certain** this thing wasn't sitting here when the Stalnox rose. The gate had opened behind her, and she considered leaving without opening the chest for fear this was a trap. She glanced at the tablet again, and wondered if this was a prize that somehow marked her as a 'knight of the kingdom'. Then, with a deep breath, she seized the lid and threw it open.

Then she slammed it closed, and slowly opened it again to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

Sitting inside that chest was a shield - but it wasn't just any shield. Any knight of Hyrule knew about this shield - a blue metal surface framed with silver, with the mark of the gods between two silver arcs, approached by a crimson bird. This was a shield revered as an impregnable defense, a shield that any knight dreamed of carrying into battle with the knowledge that it would protect them from anything that attacked, a shield that she had heard described as unbreakable by fools who believed shields were meant to be worn away to nothing for the sake of speed.

This was a Hylian Shield.

Slowly, she picked up the guard and held it before her. It was a weighty shield - much heavier than Urbosa's Daybreaker, all truth told, and she wouldn't want to wear it if she needed to use her paraglider - but that would only give her a most stalwart defense. If there were any lingering doubts that the stories were true, holding the shield rid her of them; if she was perfectly honest, she believed this thing could take a direct hit from the Guardians' beams without the force behind it to send it back the way it came, and come out none the worse for wear.

Link turned it in hand, finding the handle positioned to be worn on the left arm; she seized the handle on its backside, closed the strap over her arm, and drew the Master Sword off her back.

It felt so natural...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long weapons are made for horseback. Their reach maximizes the chance you'll hit your target from that high up, and they hit rapidly enough to make up for their low power. Plus they have a unique idle pose if you hold the attack button on horseback; one-handed weapons and heavy weapons just hold in place.
> 
> Go in the bottommost entryway; when you reach the first corner, the wall of Malice to your immediate right is blocking off a hallway. Like, preventing you from going straight up inside from the bottom level, I get, but why didn't they have a Malice eye on the other side to clear that path? The rest of the paths are actually traversable, why not that one?
> 
> My headcanon on the Royal series vs. the Royal Guard series. The description for the Royal Guard weapons say that they were considered 'flawed', 'impractical', and 'inefficient'; my theory is that the Royal Guard series was INTENDED for use by the royal guard, but never ended up being used as such, thus the royal guard used the Royal series instead.
> 
> The "-fos" in "Stalfos" means 'humanoid'. I've used "Stalfos" as a blanket term for Stalkoblins, Stalmoblins, and Stalizalfos. Hinox are humanoid enough that a Stalnox should qualify as a Stalfos, right?
> 
> Feel like they should've just had the Hylian Shield respawn after the Stalnox fight if you break one instead of having to buy it from the guy at Tarrey Town. You can't buy weapons or armour anywhere else. (Well, you can buy arrows, but an arrow isn't a weapon without a bow to fire it from.)
> 
> You know, Link is canonically ambidextrous. Raise complaints about the right-handed Links all you want, but he is canonically ambidextrous in all incarnations. With that known, his preferred right-handedness in Breath of the Wild makes plenty of sense, given that he gets his equipment from wherever; not all shields are rotationally symmetrical, and most people are right-handed, so shields will usually be designed for the left arm.


	2. The Calamity Ganon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Given my resting rule for my challenge run, I'm lucky there are so many campable fires around the castle.
> 
> Funny story: once Draco discovered Kilton's shop had a Dark series, he wanted to fight Calamity Ganon as Dark Link. Of course, Dark Link's weapons are all dark versions as well, so he needs appropriately dark weapons. The Royal Guard series is all black, so that should do. Dark Hood, Dark Tunic, Dark Trousers, Royal Guard's Broadsword, Royal Guard's Shield, Royal Guard's Bow. Then he discovers that your quiver isn't affected by your equipment options, so it sticks out like a sore thumb.  
He decided to fight Calamity Ganon with no bow and no sword beams. He's a plain enough guy most of the time, but when it comes to making things thematic he can be such a masochist.
> 
> Link's equipment inventory at the start of this chapter [currently equipped]:  
-[Master Sword]  
-Scimitar of the Seven  
-Boulder Breaker  
-Lightscale Trident  
-Great Eagle Bow  
-Arrow ×95  
-[Ancient Arrow ×6]  
-[Hylian Shield]  
-Daybreaker  
-[Champion's Tunic]  
-[Hylian Hood]  
-[Hylian Trousers]  
-Zora Helm  
-Zora Armour  
-Zora Greaves  
-Snowquill Trousers  
-Snowquill Tunic  
-Snowquill Headdress  
-Flamebreaker Armour  
-Flamebreaker Boots  
-Flamebreaker Helm  
-Desert Voe Headband  
-Desert Voe Trousers  
-Desert Voe Spaulder

The sun was starting to rise - or at least, Link assumed that's what that shape in the distance was. The Malice was so thick as she approached the Sanctum of Hyrule Castle that the sky seemed red and gold, like the Calamity was projecting its image of the Sacred Realm upon the domain of Hyrule. The corrupted Guardians that patrolled the path had been deactivated, and before them, the Moblins and Lizalfos that filled the halls had been struck down; yet all of this had come at a cost, as the arms of her friends had been reduced to their last legs.

Now, as Link came up on the Sanctum, she dismounted Lugria, and started forward.

Darkness.

Link's footsteps halted as a sudden darkness seemed to fill the Sanctum before her - a darkness that the light did not penetrate. Then, it seemed to lift; yet standing there was a being that hadn't been there an instant before. It stood at ten paces away, unmoving... at least, in human terms. But its humanoid body was formed of Malice - pure black, nearly liquid, flowing in place. Purple flames burned upon its helm like a mane, not heating the air but perverting it with an unholy darkness.

The only features upon its face were its eyes - blank voids of white that carried no light of their own - yet she could all but feel the menacing grin it would have worn.

**"The hero. At last."**

She had heard that voice in each Divine Beast, seen this figure before her; she stepped back, one hand going for her sword. "Ganon...!"

**"_Ganondorf_."** There was a proclamation in that word, correcting her for her mistake. **"That was the name my mothers called me - the name Hyrule came to fear time and again."** The figure raised a hand, as though admiring it. **"And yet, now it addresses me with reverence, and despair. All of Hyrule has feared me for a century, even when the princess has left me to do naught but aim Hyrule's own weapons. Calamity... an opportunity I've never had before."**

"They called you Calamity before," Link proclaimed. "Before you even appeared, Hyrule knew you as the Calamity - of ten thousand years ago!"

Ganondorf turned to face her. **"Is that how the legend is recalled? What a blessing."**

Link narrowed her gaze. "Are you saying you're not the same creature that arose back then?"

**"The form has changed, perhaps,"** Ganondorf admitted, **"but carries the same consciousness - so to speak. But I did never rise in Hyrule ten thousand years ago. Not to this extent. The moment I arose, I was struck down - by the soul of the hero, and the blood of the goddess, and the automatons their allies had forged, and the weapons their companions had armed. Strife had already greeted Hyrule before I had arisen... and strengthened its defenders as only strife is capable."**

His gaze rose to the shrouded skies. **"If they call me Calamity, because I was known as the Calamity of ten thousand years... then Hyrule knew I would bring this chaos with me when I arose. They strove to prevent my rise, because they knew I would bring with me calamity. And that,"** he mused, turning his gaze back on Link, **"is why they struck me down so quickly."**

"And that's why you took them," Link observed. "The Divine Beasts... the Guardians... You turned them all against us - because you _knew_ they would bring you the same defeat as ten thousand years ago!"

Ganondorf laughed, and the castle seemed to shake. **"Yet even now, after all your struggles, you have no such great alliance as the hero of ten thousand years ago. The weapons may be free, but you were forced to strike down the automatons that you could not simply ignore altogether. A hundred thousand soldiers that cannot lend you their swords."**

The darkness shrouded the Sanctum once more, consuming Ganondorf and the fires that burned upon him.

**"Let's see how much of a difference they made."**

When the darkness lifted, the figure was gone, and Link stood alone at the Sanctum's entrance.

With a heavy breath, Link stepped inside. The structure had suffered the ages, but not so much as to be foreign; yet the threat was here, and that meant Link could not see this place as anything but a battlefield. From the ceiling hung such a mass of Malice as to resemble a chrysalis - and it began to tremor as Link stepped inside.

_...n..._

A light began to shine from within that Malice.

_...ink..._

In her mind, Link heard a voice.

_Link..._

"Zelda...!" Link stepped forward. "Zelda!"

_I'm sorry... but my power isn't strong enough..._

The light began to subside, and the chrysalis began to shake once again.

_I can't hold him..._

A piercing blue light; it tore out of the Malice and seared into the ground, and Link started as it moved, searing lines across the walls floor of the Sanctum. After a moment, the light faded, only for another to tear out and strike what was yet unscarred, tearing those surfaces yet further.

By some miracle, Link was unscathed as less violent lights shone from that origin, tracing the scars that had been carved, and steam leaked from them.

Then the chrysalis _burst_, Malice scattering throughout the room, and something descended - Link didn't have the chance to get a good look at her opponent before it made contact with the floor, and the damage done by its own actions meant it couldn't handle the strain. The floor shattered, and what had emerged began to fall; Link had no opportunity to find footing of her own, and leapt from the surface beneath her so as to put as much space in which to react between her and her opponent as they both descended.

The walls of Hyrule Castle gave way to sleek stone, traced with the glow of Sheikah technology; the hollow pillar into which they fall broadened into a massive battlefield, and Link knew, in an instant, that the Guardians unfound by King Rhoam's command had been waiting here. As her opponent landed, the paraglider appeared between her hands, and she drifted into a glide just far enough away that she did not land upon it; she skidded upon the ground as her paraglider vanished, and her opponent turned to face her.

Ganondorf had been humanoid enough - a form meant to meet his foe face to face. But Calamity Ganon had a body as chaotic as his plague upon Hyrule. It had taken inspiration from the Guardians; its legs were thin and numerous, a few that Link would mistake for belonging to the Guardians themselves if she could only see them. It had taken inspiration from its effigies in the Divine Beasts, carrying a long lance, a crushing blade, a variety of precise edges, and a weighty cannon. At the fore of its body was a mane of red that vaguely resembled Gerudo hair, and though its visage was far too inhuman, it had visible eyes, and a mouth that opened wide as it roared at Link.

Malice began to swirl around Hyrule Castle... and was visible from all across Hyrule.

* * *

The spirit of the Rito Champion witnessed that darkness appear - from atop the Divine Beast Vah Medoh, perched atop Rito Village with its beak locked on the castle - and if his rival was playing her role, he was willing to play his.

"Now my moment has finally come. Brace yourself, Ganon, for the sting of my revenge!" 

He aimed his wing forward - and from Medoh emerged a most powerful blast.

* * *

The spirit of the Zora Champion witnessed that darkness appear - from atop the Divine Beast Vah Ruta, standing by Zora's Domain with her tusks extended and her trunk held heavenward - and she knew her beloved would not let her down.

"This will be our final opportunity. We will not fail!"

She folded her hands before her - and from Ruta emerged a most powerful blast.

* * *

The spirit of the Goron Champion witnessed that darkness appear - from atop the Divine Beast Vah Rudania, standing above Goron City with its face open - and he slammed his fists together as he prepared to give the Calamity its due.

"Let's go little guy! Now! Open up wide, Ganon!"

He thrust his hands forward - and from Rudania emerged a most powerful blast.

* * *

The spirit of the Gerudo Champion witnessed that darkness appear - from atop the Divine Beast Vah Naboris, standing on a cliff between Gerudo Town and Hyrule Field - and the lingering taste of defeat only intensified the sweetness of what was to come.

"A hundred years in the making.... Hold on, Princess - our moment has arrived!"

She snapped her fingers - and from Naboris emerged a most powerful blast.

* * *

The light of the Divine Beasts converged in the Castle Sanctum, where the chrysalis of Malice had hung - and though the Calamity no longer stood there, the structure of the castle meant it only had one escape. The hollow into which Link and Ganon had fallen served as would the barrel of a cannon, and Link raised a hand skyward in proclamation as each of her friends fulfilled their promise.

The light rained down with such force as to illuminate the battlefield, such that Link would swear she stood within the sun; Calamity Ganon screamed, the sound echoing about as the judgement of the Champions descended. When at last the blows subsided, the Calamity fell to the ground, and Link lowered her hand - if Ganon had been felled, Zelda would be released, and Link would be free to strike him down in preparation for her sealing power.

But then that dark voice echoed out again, quiet at first, but growing in volume. Ganondorf laughed as the Calamity began to move, rising to its feet.

**"A single insect is but a nuisance, no matter how great its wings are spread. The threat only comes from the _swarm!_"**

Calamity Ganon roared at Link, who took a deep breath as she reached for the sword on her back.

"Go to Demise."

The Master Sword was drawn in her right hand, and Link swept it out to her side as its blade was illuminated with the power to repel evil. Her left hand found the Hylian Shield, slipping through the strap and grasping the handle, and she braced it before her as Ganon made to threaten her.

Three arms brandishing blades poised themselves around her - a straight edge on her left, a pair blades designed to close together on her right, and above her was a set poised like claws. All three moved, but only the straight edge made to strike her; Link leapt back, letting it pass beneath her, and once it had she lunged forward and brought the Master Sword into seven rapid blows. Ganon took offense; as the seventh blow landed, the Calamity reared back, and she leapt away as he came down, and light ripped up around the floor beneath him.

Those numerous legs worked together to move Ganon aside, and he brought his crushing blade back to one side - and Link only realized now that said blade was glowing with such heat as to distort the air around it. Link leapt over it as it swung, but in its wake were left waves of flame that seared across the floor around her, leaving her with no ability to close the distance, and Ganon moved away before the fires extinguished. The blade was raised heavenward, and this gave her far more opportunity; she leapt aside so that she was facing Ganon's face and not his arm, and as the blade came down she charged forward for another flurry.

Once again she bombarded him with blows before he could react, and once again she moved away as he tried to retaliate, leaving his light dispersing without harm. This time, Ganon backed away, to the wall of the battlefield - and those legs moved to adhered to the walls, his Malice supporting him as he began to move aside. He brought the lance up and then hurled it towards her; Link sidestepped it, though it tore through the cape on her hood, then brought her sword back and swung it forward to hurl a disc of light. It struck Ganon, and the faint harm it brought was enough to slack his grip on the wall, Link charged forward as he fell, and attacked him with four blows and then three before he started to rise up.

His cannon was raised towards her; a red targeting beam locked onto Link, but only very briefly before the light flew, and Link had no time to prepare to beat it back. She steadied her stance and let it connect with her Hylian Shield - and the beam was knocked aside, slamming into the wall well away so that not even its blast could threaten her as Ganon advanced towards her; its triple blades were poised again, and this time the paired blades tried to close on her. She leapt aside, and bombarded him with blows before moving away once more.

Ganon took affront; he lashed his weapons to his sides, and a ferocious orange glow covered his body entire.

The crushing blade was brought back again; Link leapt over it, and this time the flames were just parted enough for her to charge forward - yet before the Master Sword could connect with his visage, it was forced back, and she had no choice but to retreat again before he retaliated. This wasn't just a strengthening of the body; this was stopping her blade from even meeting him, a guard that the power to repel evil could not overcome, and he raised his cannon towards her once again.

"Urbosa!"

Lightning rained down out of nowhere, piercing Ganon with a fury, and he fell to the floor, his body wracking with the voltage and his defense fading. Link charged forward and bombarded him with blows before he could recover; only once he started to rise did she start to retreat, and he didn't even bother to retaliate, instead reraising his defense before advancing on her once more. The triple blades poised around her, and the claws made to sweep forward; Link managed to hop aside, but didn't bother to close the distance when she still had no way of piercing his defense. Only when Ganon put distance between him and her did she have her opening; he raised his cannon towards her again.

"Daruk!"

She brought the Hylian Shield up as the beam flew - and this time an aura of protection rose up around her, with which the beam collided only to return to sender. Ganon was knocked back as Link charged forward, striking him with her sword again and again. Only once his own guard had returned did she start to withdraw; he climbed upon the wall once more, and this time he raised his cannon, and rapid shots flew from it, each firing too fast for her to do much more than narrowly avoid the last. She hurled another disc of light towards him, but he showed not so much as a reaction to its presence; he descended down the wall, and as he started towards her Link knew she had to take a drastic measure.

The Master Sword was thrown - not swung, but _thrown_ \- straight upward, that her strongest arm was free. Link reached for her quiver, still hanging on her hip only by how accustomed she was to the balance of wearing it, and drew an arrow - one headed with a blade of Sheikah technology. Before Ganon could react, she hurled the Ancient Arrow at his helm, and it burst against his visage with enough force to leave him stumbling; then she caught the falling Master Sword, and turned into a spin with the blade of evil's bane outstretched.

"_Kaitengiri!_"

The blade connected, and Ganondorf screamed as it ripped through the Malice; Calamity Ganon collapsed upon the ground, and as he tried to rise Link saw the Malice parting, in a fashion not at all unlike blood spilling from a Hylian's wound. His legs slammed to the ground, he tried to raise his weapons, but his body was giving fast; he raised his head and cried out as Malice began to _pour_ from his body like geysers struck.

Light began to pierce his form - but then his form _bloated_, the Malice expanding, wearing thin until it burst. Clouds of black flooded the battleground beneath Hyrule Castle, and Link put the Hylian Shield between her and Ganon - yet the substance didn't make to threaten her, swirling about the chamber like a brewing storm.

She charged into its center, and found nothing there; the clouds of Malice began to rise, ascending out the hollow from which they had fallen, and as Link peered up towards them, a light wrapped her body, pulling her from the ruins of Hyrule Castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There ought to be an option to repair the Champions' weapons when they're considered 'badly damaged' rather than needing to be broken completely and reforged from scratch.
> 
> The official strategy guide says the first Blight you face has 800 HP, which roughly corresponds to my 7-hits-per-phase analysis with the Master Sword. It also lists Calamity Ganon as having 8000 HP. Amazing what one place value can do for a long-lasting boss fight, because I just outright lose track of how many times I hit the fricker in Hyrule Castle even after the Divine Beasts cut his bar in half.
> 
> Speaking of the strategy guide, it lists the Bow of Light as having a durability of 100. As I feel like I mentioned before but can't seem to find, I once tested this by firing 100 Light Arrows at Dark Beast Ganon from across Hyrule Field and the bow didn't react. This implies that either (A) the strategy guide writers thought there would be something wrong with leaving the durability value of a weapon that you can only ever use in one fight as blank, or (B) the developers gave the Bow of Light "in the face of Malice" mechanics like the Master Sword.
> 
> The Master Sword has a durability of 40 under normal circumstances which is depleted by sword beams, a durability of 11,400 (no, I'm not pulling that out of my ass) in the face of Malice (or having completed the Trial of the Sword) that is not depleted by sword beams (as tested by swinging it to the breaking point before facing Blights in the Sanctum, discovering the following clause, and finishing them off with sword beams), and either has infinite durability or is instantly recharged when facing Calamity Ganon and Dark Beast Ganon (I can't test which because Calamity Ganon has less than 684,000 HP and you can't hit Dark Beast Ganon with the blade).
> 
> Assuming the Bow of Light has "in the face of Malice" mechanics rather than outright infinite durability, and assuming the Calamity/DarkBeast clause is instant replenishment rather than infinite durability, then the Bow of Light should break after firing... ([11400/40]×100=) 28,500 Light Arrows.
> 
> Any insomniacs got a weekend to kill?


	3. The Monster's Desperation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's wrap this motherfricker up with a nice bow.

When Link opened her eyes, she was standing on Hyrule Field, facing Hyrule Castle; the sun was nearly at noon, and Lugria was standing at her side.

_...n..._

An ominous wind blew from behind her, putting her on edge.

_...anon..._

Slowly, she and her horse turned to face what was happening.

_Ganon..._

The clouds of Malice that had spread upon Calamity Ganon's expiry now stormed in Hyrule Field - with such volume that they could have hidden Hyrule Castle if they had so deemed appropriate. Link half expected to hear Ganondorf's voice taunting her - but all she heard was Zelda's warning.

_Ganon was born out of a dark past. He is a pure embodiment of the ancient evil that is reborn time and time again._

Something reached out of the storming Malice - at first it seemed like a arm, but then Link realized it was a **tusk**. Then something else - a hooved leg that slammed to the ground with enough force to shake the entire plain. The clouds began to part, revealing what had formed within them.

_He has given up on reincarnation, and assumed his pure, enraged form._

A massive boar stood in Hyrule Field, with the size to rival a citadel - its entire body formed of Malice, with a blazing mane of unholy fire. It opened its maw to roar, and Link saw within, a gathering of power as to tear down a continent.

_If set free upon this world, the destruction will be unlike anything ever seen before._

Ganon reared back, and then came down hard enough to shake all of Hyrule; Lugria reared in fright, and dread was making to seize Link when she saw a light gathering before her.

_Link... I entrust you with Hylia's sealing power given form - a powerful weapon in the face of evil. You may not have recovered your power, or all of your memories..._

The Hylian Champion didn't even hesitate. The moment it was solid, her hand reached forward and grasped it - a bow like a crescent moon, with a bowstring of woven sunlight.

_...but courage need not be remembered..._

She leapt upon her steed, one one hand seizing the reins, and he whinnied as he proceeded to gallop forward.

_...for it is never forgotten!_

There needed not be any words between princess and knight; Link began to ride forward, and as power began to well in Ganon's maw, she directed Lugria to the left, riding aside as a beam of force ripped out. The blow singed Lugria's tail, but brought no harm to the horse himself; as it faded out, Ganon was petrified, and light surged out from three points across its side - light which projected glowing rings, each holding the mark of the gods.

Link raised the Bow of Light and seized the bowstring - and as she pulled it back, an arrow of white appeared, its head a curved blade shining with holy power. She let it fly into the point on Ganon's foreleg, and as it entered the light, it seemed to shift trajectories, just slightly, so that it flew directly into the gap in the Malice. Ganon roared in protest as she fired a second arrow at the point on his hind leg, then brought Lugria around to ride ahead of Ganon as she fired at the point on Ganon's side.

The clouds began to storm, and rain began to fall as Ganon tried to turn towards her; but Lugria galloped clear beneath his tusks, and was already well out of range as Ganon made to launch another beam of Malice from his maw. He made to bring the blast around, but Link was already sheltered by Ganon's own foreleg as it launched out; then Ganon's form was petrified once more, and three more marks were formed from light shining out of gaps in the Malice on its side - higher this time.

The higher targets were no great threat; Link took aim, and loosed Arrows of Light that flew swift and true, piercing Ganon without hesitation. Lugria continued to gallop as she fired, and Ganon made to turn towards them - but Link rode behind it, remaining beneath its tail until it made to attack straight at Hyrule Castle without a hero to attack; then she circled around its flanks, waiting for the next opening to present itself.

She was grateful when she did - the opening did indeed present itself, on Ganon's underside. Lugria charged between its hind legs, and Link circled his neck with her legs as she leaned back in the saddle to take proper aim, nearly falling clean off as she fired an Arrow of Light straight into the gap above her, penetrating the Malice before she had even righted herself.

The skies had gone dark, blackened with Malice as she rode out between Ganon's tusks. A brilliant light from behind her caused her to turn as she saw the flames in Ganon's mane part - the Malice itself was being torn open, and a titanic eye was visible within. Yet she had no opportunity to take the opening; power welled in Ganon's maw once more, and she couldn't even make to direct Lugria aside before it surged out, ripping across the field and straight towards her.

Her ears didn't even register her horse's cry as the Malice washed over her; her entire body was washed with a blinding pain. She could feel her skin being flayed, her muscles burning, and she couldn't even open her mouth to scream her suffering.

Then, a gentle grace cut through the darkness; the next thing Link knew, she was lying in Hyrule Field. The Bow of Light lay at her side, and a sensation like water washed over her, as she made to move, she saw the glow fading from her arms, and realized where she had seen it before.

"Mipha...?"

New resolve took hold inside her, her hand lunged forward, seized the Bow of Light, and she got to her feet. Lugria lay dead on the field between her and Ganon, and she needed greater altitude than her legs would give her to get a good shot at that vulnerability; as Ganon prepared to blast her once more, she dropped to one knee, making to steady herself for what would come next.

"Revali!"

A ferocious gale swirled heavenward around her, and as Ganon began to unleash his next blast, Link leapt. Her body twisted as she rose, a spinning ascension that would have her mistaken for a performer in any other scene; Ganon could not move fast enough to strike her as she rose, nor lift his head high enough to strike her out of the air at the peak of her flight; she came around with an Arrow of Light nocked, and time slowed as she took aim.

"**_Long live the beautiful land of Hylia!_**"

Ganon could not defend himself as the arrow flew; the light connected with the core of his being, and he roared as it washed through him without relent. His body struggled to move, and from the gap in his Malice emerged a shining figure that descended to the earth alight with the brilliance of Hylia. The light caused Ganon's body to deform, to _give_, until it faded into mist, and a specter of Malice emerged; on the back of Zelda's hand appeared the mark of the gods, and she turned it towards him as he made to approach.

If ever in Hyrule there had been a light comparable to that which shone from Zelda's body, it would have been that of the Goddess herself. The force that burst out before her washed across the fields of Central Hyrule, washing over the Calamity's true form; it tried to rise, but the force consumed it even as it tried to flee, and Ganon gave one final roar as he was blinded by the sealing light.

When it faded, there was no sign of Ganon, save for the ruins that had occurred over the century.

Slowly, Link stepped forward, the Bow of Light held still in her left hand, the Master Sword yet resting upon her back.

"I've been keeping watch over you all this time... I've witnessed your struggles to return to us, as well as your trials in battle. I always thought - no, I always believed - that you would find a way to defeat Ganon. I never lost faith in you over these many years."

Zelda turned to face her, garbed in the white of prayer, and looked upon the Hero of Hyrule with a smile on her face.

"Thank you, Link..."

Her hands closed before her.

"May I ask... do you truly remember me?"

A small smile rose on the Hero's face, and she gave a silent nod.

And tears of joy rose in the princess' eyes to hear that news.


End file.
